USAID Zrda Activity Partners with the Israeli Embassy to Support Economic Growth and Community Resilience Near the ABL
The Messenger Staff
Friday, April 2
On March 31, 2021, in Gamdlistskaro village, Shida Kartli region, USAID/Georgia Mission Director Peter Wiebler joined Ambassador of Israel to Georgia Ran Gidor, USAID Zrda Activity in Georgia Deputy Chief of Party Brittany Patterson, and Governor of Shida Kartli Mamuka Saghareishvili, to hand over drip irrigation kits to 59 households of Gamdlistskaro village located along the Administrative Boundary Line with the occupied territory of South Ossetia.
The event marked a tangible outcome of the partnership between USAID and the Israeli Embassy and Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation (MASHAV) to enable the farmers to boost yields, improve quality, and generate increased income from the sale of their products.
“USAID is a strong supporter of the development of democracy in Georgia but also encourages the promotion of the economic opportunity here. We are here in Kaspi Municipality for several reasons, one is to celebrate the support for economically vulnerable communities and to create economic opportunities for farmers and families here, so they can have a brighter future in this ABL area. The second important reason is to celebrate the partnership between the United States and the Government of Israel specifically MASHAV because this project is really a collaboration and partnership between USAID, ABL communities, and MASHAV itself. So, we’re blending American resources, finances as well as expertise with Israeli technology, and the people that will really benefit from it are the farmers and the families living along the Administrative Boundary Line with the occupied territory of South Ossetia,” USAID/Georgia Mission Director Peter Wiebler told The Messenger on March 31.
Having preliminarily identified the local farmers’ needs in optimizing their harvest and income per square meter, the USAID Zrda Activity and MASHAV have worked together to equip farmers near the ABL with drip irrigation kits for installation in their small land plots. Of note, the Bar-Lev-Net Group - the exclusive representative of the world-renowned Israeli drip irrigation company Netafim - joined the initiative to donate 12 drip irrigation systems free-of-charge to ABL households.
“Unlike Georgia, Israel simply doesn’t have enough water for the local agricultural needs. This is why Israeli scientists developed a drip irrigation system to make sure that each irrigation seed and plant gets exactly the number of drops of water that it requires. Thus, we are happy and proud to share this modern and innovative equipment with our Georgian friends and partners as well,” said Ambassador of Israel to Georgia Ran Gidor, on Wednesday.
In recent years, the USAID Zrda Activity has worked closely with the Israeli Embassy and MASHAV to help improve agricultural extension services and bring Israeli agricultural expertise to Georgia.
